Latest GPS First XV round 3 action saw wins to TSS, BBC, Terrace and Nudgee
There were thrillers aplenty in a gripping round 3 of GPS First XV matches which included TSS’s bounce back victory, Terrace’s second win in a row and BBC’s first win of the season. Read the reports here.
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Western suburbs residents - what was that noise you heard at about 3.45pm on Saturday afternoon, you ask?
It was a loud sigh of relief drifting across the south west after the Brisbane Boys’ College First XV survived an attempted Ipswich Grammar School ambush to snare its first win of the season.
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BBC won 26-24 after an Amaziah Murgha-inspired IGS had closed the gap to just a two point deficit following the second effort performance of rugged flanker Jack Calleja to find the chalk from a IGS pick and drive rally.
ROUND 3 DEBUT BOYS, SPEED DEMONS
It was also a game of inches at Churchie where Nudgee’s set piece and composure helped fend off a resurgent Churchie 19-15.
A second half rolling maul try was all that separated the two teams as Churchie highlighted just how close this competition is by almost pulling off a major upset.
More on that game later.
And at Southport, what a difference a week makes as TSS bounced back from a 45-point loss a week earlier to defeat Toowoomba Grammar School 35-26.
“The difference between last week and this week was that last week we created chances and took none of them, and this week we created chances and took all of them,’’ said TSS director of rugby Mike Wallace.
“It was a really good response and I was really proud of them.’’
More on that game soon as well.
At Northgate, Terrace also made it two wins in a row with a gripping defeat of BGS by 16-10.
At Brassell, BBC’s centres Frank Howarth and Tai Taka stood up in defence to reduce the impact of IGS’s speed demon pairing of Kendell and James Grey which helped thwart IGS’s pursuit of a come-from-behind win.
BBC’s second half forward rally, when the side turned its attention to a power game to try and go through their rivals, was crucial in giving them a narrow edge.
“We needed to be more direct and ask more questions,’’ said BBC director of rugby Todd Dammers.
BBC wound down the final seconds when No. 8 Austen Neame produced a thunderous run off the back of the scrum, denying IGS the chance of one last counter attacking effort.
“It was a great game of schoolboy rugby played in a really positive spirit,’’ said IGS director of sport Nigel Grieve.
He praised the defence of both teams, and also the patience of BBC “at critical times’’.
Dammers had high praise for BBC’s defence and urgency in quelling IGS.
“We wanted to see them get back to the way they played in the pre-season,’’ Dammers said.
Inside centre Howarth was enormous with his crash running and defence alongside Tai Taka who also impressed at outside centre after playing left wing in round one.
Up front BBC loosehead prop Oscar Donovan again shone, while second rower Cooper Eagle made a magnificent return to the side after missing round one.
It was an entertaining affair from the start when an IGS line out trick play saw a double switch in play open up the attacking side of the field for elusive IGS fullback Amaziah Murgha.
Murgha put on the afterburners and blazed his way toward the corner post, handing his side first points following some brilliance at the llineout by Scheibel, Ezalle Matautia and Will Pamenter.
Moments earlier IGS lock Harry Scheibel had almost scored after another variation in the lineout saw Scheibel rumble down the blindside.
But BBC’s Gray O’Neill, who had a splendid opening, stood between him and a certain try.
BBC did strike next when lock Tavita Loughland pick and drove his way over after, a few minutes earlier, BBC had been propelled into the attacking zone by a thrilling burst from halfback Isaac Kefu.
It was 7-5 to IGS after 22 minutes.
IGS were back in front when winger Marion Frost swooped onto a wide, lofted pass from BBC, intercepting the ball and winning a foot race to the line with BBC winger Colaivalu.
BBC inside centre Frank Howarth’s battering ram running was causing the IGS some grief, and it was off the foundation of one of his charges which saw plucky breakaway Tyler Maybery scramble the ball over from a pick and drive.
It was back to 14-12 as the halftime break loomed, but Walker, with an impressive 38m penalty goal from in front, made it a five point game oranges.
After Walker showed his class off the tee, IGS fullback Amaziah Murgha then impacted the match again with a brilliant burst down a wide blindside, and had it not been for magnificent last ditch defence by BBC’s Tai Taka, IGS winger Brock Coombes would have scored.
BBC 26 (Loughland, Maybery 2, penalty try, O’Neill 2 cons) def IGS 24 (Murgha, Frost, Scheibel tries, Walker 3 con, Walker pen).
At Churchie, the home side turned at halftime level 12-all after a gallant first half performance and actually led 15-12 after an early penalty goal in the second half.
But Nudgee’s old faithful, a rolling maul from an attacking lineout, then grafted Nudgee back in front 19-15 in a desperately fought affair.
Nudgee director of rugby, Sean Graham, said his team’s defence started at its set pieces, including the scrum which denied Churchie a platform in which to launch dangerous backline players.
Graham said Nudgee went into the match expecting the game to go 12 rounds, and it did.
“Churchie were within one score throughout. It was nail biting,’’ Graham said.
Captain John Grenfell was again tremendous scoring two tries, while the line out performance of locks Ed Kasprowicz and Bennett Armistead on both attacking and defensive ball helped tilt the match ever so slightly the way of Nudgee.
Nudgee had opened the scoring with a pick and drive try to inspiring skipper Grenfell, but Churchie winger Oliver Chancellor plucked down an intercept pass to put his side on the board.
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Nudgee fullback Jacob Johnson then ignited the clash with a dazzling counter attacking effort, with his pass finding Hugo Hart who put his centre Max Rohan on a run to the line.
Rohan was challenged in the last line by Churchie fullback Treyvon Pritchard, but he just grounded the ball.
As we said, it was a game of inches.
But Churchie’s resistance was sustained and relentless, and there was no way their brave effort was to wane.
With halftime closing in, the Churchie forwards conjured up a pick and drive assault which led to Kasper Tammela scoring.
It was a thrilling encounter, and full marks to Churchie for the role they played after.
Churchie came to play and were close to a major upset when outstanding winger Will Bloxham almost capped a strong game with an intercept try.
Churchie, playing the type of game their coaching staff knew they were capable off, also pushed up the field late but the Nudgee line held.
Leading the way for Churchie was flanker Tom Wood.
Nudgee 19 (Hart, Grenfell 2 tries, Johnson 2 con) def Churchie 15 (Tammela, Chancellor tries, Austin con, Austin pen).
On the Village Green, TSS found a path to victory on Old Boys Day with a rousing nine point win, 35-26, over a spirited TGS.
TSS had bounded out to a 21-5 advantage and a 28-12 halftime lead after powerhouse forward efforts created two of their first three tries. Hooker Blaze Moana, prop Kingsley Uys and lock Hayden Keldie-Genner crossed to get TSS off to a flyer.
Keldie-Genner scored from a pick and drive effort, while hooker Blaze Moana drove off the back of a rolling maul for a five-pointer, as he does so well.
In between the dancing feet of Dallas Ingram, the kicking of halfback Tom Goldie and defensive efforts of Kilarney Lavender and Viliami Fifita led the way for the home side.
TGS rallied, as they were always going to do, and moved withing striking distance trailing 28-19 when the footwork of Myles Rosemond evaded broke through TSS’s last line of defence.
But a glorious set move try from a scrum, when inside centre Eli Vea reserved his pass to centre Kilarney Lavender, saw TSS advance closer to victory.
What a move it was, 22m out from the tryline with just over 16 minutes to go, Lavender burst out of nowhere to receive an inside pass from Vea before slicing through and diving over under the sticks.
TGS responded with a Ben Burgess try, and strong, bustling effort by the determined winger, but a nine-point deficit was as close as TGS were to get.
TGS director of sport Steve Fryer praised the big, powerful TSS forwards and the power running of backs like Lavender, Vea and fullback Dylan Terblanche.
“But we kept fighting and never threw in the towel,’’ Fryer praised.
TSS director of rugby Mike Wallace said TSS had not played as well as they did, they would have been beaten because TGS were “very good today’’.
Out at Northgate, Gregory Terrace played in the right areas of the field and clinically came away with points when in their opposition’s 22m to ensure a gritty 16-10 King of the Hill win over Brisbane Grammar.
Terrace fullback Joe McGahan kicked three penalty goals, adhering to a clear game plan to take the points when they were presented – and it was the difference in the end.
The home side were at times their own worst enemy, giving Terrace countless counter attacking opportunities by not kicking the ball out.
But in reply, the hosts did front up on defence where late in the first half a diving cover tackle from Dyer Akauola and a subsequent pilfer from unlikely hero Tom Siganto delivered big plays to deny Terrace their second try.
MCGAHAN BROTHERS
It was a territorial battle out at Northgate and flyhalf Sam McGahan and his brother Joe finished the game with a slight upper hand after kicking their side into the right parts of the field.
Goalkicker Joe scored 11 of his team’s 16 points and went four-from-four off the tee, while Sam was sure with his kicks, putting the ball over the sideline on penalty kicks and turning BGS around with his kicks downfield.
Had BGS boys Elijah Breen (fullback) and Zac Reader (flyhalf) backed their running game, which is equally as impressive, then BGS may have avoided being in a couple positions where they were backpedaling towards their line.
NO.8 PRIME MOVER
In just his second game of First XV rugby, Brisbane Grammar No.8 Dyer Akauola made a tremendous impact.
Young and raw, big Dolphins contracted forward Akauola was all business on both sides of the ball, and was one cog in a BGS forward pack which upheld their end of the bargain.
As mentioned above, Akauola made a trysaving cover tackle and met Terrace with force across the match in defence.
Running the ball he was potent, along with big and powerful prop pairing Barry Smith (loosehead) and Tristan Knudsen (tighthead) who were excellent.
The efforts of Tim Alport, Barry Smith, Oli Akhavan and Sam Bolam in the lineout and set piece, were positives for the home side, who were their own worst enemies.
YOUNG VETERAN
It wasn’t pretty, but it is two wins on the trot for Terrace The Brave.
Making sure of it was returning tighthead prop Charlie Hollyman who won his individual battles and looked a class above when carrying the ball.
The abrasive Hollyman has returned this year bigger, stronger and more fit and with important No.8 leader Oli Nasser out, Hollyman stepped up to spearhead the tight five, which included hardworking lock Will Devine.
Devine made an all-important tackle after fulltime on his tryline, holding up an opposition player over the line to see Terrace to safety in the last play of the game.
It was body on the line stuff.
Terrace 16 (Hollyman try, McGahan con, McGahan 3 pen) def BGS 10 (Akauola try, Reader con, Reader pen).
ROUND 4
BSHS v Ipswich Grammar School
Nudgee College v Brisbane Grammar School
BBC v The Southport School
Toowoomba Grammar School v Churchie
Originally published as Latest GPS First XV round 3 action saw wins to TSS, BBC, Terrace and Nudgee
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